Tuesday, 11 April 2017

Gone are the days when TV actresses were not just beautiful but could act as well. It’s hard to find a combination like that these days.

Listing down a few faces who may not be seen on TV but are still afresh in our memories.

Renuka Shahane

A lot of us remember as Madhuri Dixit’s elder sister in Hum Aapke Hain Kaun, but she was also a household name at one point of time with TV shows like Surabhi, Sailaab and the most famous one called Kora Kaagaz.

Even ‘Antakshri’ was incomplete without her. She did shows on various channels starting from DD to Zee TV to Star Plus. Her strong screen presence cannot be forgotten.

Neena Gupta

This National Award winning actress was ABSOLUTE MAGIC onscreen. With the iconic shows like Khandaan, Mirza Ghalib, Saans and Saat Phere in her kitty, it’s hard to find someone else as versatile as her. Saans in particular achieved immense popularity, it was a story of a woman rediscovering herself after her husband leaves her for another woman.

A woman who was totally dependent on her husband and had her life revolving around only her family becomes independent and finds herself a job. Indian woman rooted for her like anything and was keen to know her character Priya’s every step.

Niki Aneja Walia

Sea Hawks, Baat Ban Jaaye, Gharwaali Uparwaali and the most popular of all Astitva Ek Prem Kahani, this actress with a dazzling smile could act and how.

Her character of Dr Simran in Astitva Ek Prem Kahani achieved path breaking success because of its unique story of an older woman falling in love with a guy 10 years younger to her. She played it so flawlessly that every woman looked up to her and learnt how to handle situations with patience and strength.

Simone Singh

She became a household name for her character ‘HEENA’ in the show by the same name. There was absolutely no woman who did not sympathise with her character and stood by her when her husband in the show left her.

She was last seen in the Star Plus thriller show ‘Ek Hasina Thi’ and in spite of having a negative role, she was loved and widely appreciated by people all over.

Kitu Gidwani

Strong screen presence merged with attractive looks; Kitu Gidwani was a hot favourite of many. She was critically acclaimed and has given strong performances in shows like Swabhimaan and Air Hostess.

We still get to see her in supporting roles in Bollywood films but the heart can’t help but ponder upon the days when she was a regular on our tv screens.

I named only a few and have of course missed a lot of names and I’m thankful that we still get to see actresses like Mandira Bedi, Shefali Shah, Pallavi Joshi, Supriya Pilgaonkar on our screens.

Women have been ruling television since the time our shows were way more progressive than the ones we have now. There was no loud makeup, heavy jewellery or lavish sets; their characters were real and subtle. It’s actually sad that the standards in Indian TV have fallen both in terms of content as well as acting. Today’s shows just cannot match the simplicity and content of yesteryears.